Café
by Maya-chan2007
Summary: One afternoon, the Strawhats get together to go over their secret plans. Or, the Strawhats are making their own restaurant and making plans for the future. That don't involve anyone else finding out about their new super secret hangout spot.


_Just a quick little one shot, part of my One Piece Everyone Lives!Modern! AU, though you don't have to read those first to read this one. Crossposted from my AO3 account._

 _More bonding time for the Strawhats, because they will never have enough friendship/nakamaship moments._

 _Also, if anyone's interested I suggest listening to Diner by Martin Sexton while reading this. It's the song I listened to while writing it, I feel the tone matches quite well._

 _Disclaimer: Eichiro Oda owns One Piece. I merely borrow the characters for a moment._

* * *

"Okay, I have the food supplies ready here at my house," Sanji announced in a satisfied tone. "They can be moved at any time." He dried his hands in a hand towel before starting to put away the freshly clean dishes. Jimbei, Franky and Zoro had managed to pull dishwashing duty that day so they helped out with all of the extra dishes that had been freshly ordered. Everyone else was seated at Sanji's breakfast table looking over various forms and sheets of paper.

Robin sat back in her seat with a pleased smile. "I've already reached out to my contacts at the zoning board and with the real estate agency. The building is secured, and will officially be in our name by nine o'clock tomorrow morning."

Clenching her fist in a self-satisfied fist pump, Nami leaned forward excitedly. "I took a look around the building at different times of the day and these are the colors I've picked out for the paint," she explained, showing off brightly colored paint swatches. "Obviously everyone has final say, but these are the ones I think we'd be happiest with."

"Franky and I took a look at the wiring," Usopp said, gazing thoughtfully at various building blueprints pulled up on the table before him. "Some of it is original with the building, but most of it seems to be in good shape. We just have to replace the rest and it'll be up to code." He held the blueprints stretched out in front of him, looking at them from different angles. He seemed satisfied with what he saw.

Chopper, who'd been buried deep in books filled with the city's health code regulations, finally looked up with a bright smile on his face. "The health code seems fairly straightforward. We just have to keep everything clean and sanitized and we'll be fine. As a precaution, though, I'll put together a few first aid kits to have around the place. You can never be too careful," he said, looking pointedly at the Monster Trio who either didn't notice or ignored his insinuation. You could never tell with those three, Brook mused.

"I understand that young people nowadays prefer to listen to music on the radio," Brook spoke up, casually strumming on his guitar. "But I also have some songs picked out on a mix tape if anyone's interested. I'm also willing to do live performances."

"That's great, Brook!" Luffy exclaimed. "Your music's the best out there, anyway. Just give me, Zoro, Nami or Sanji a schedule for when you want to play and we'll come up with something for the rest of the time." It truly touched Brook's heart (not that he had one anymore) that his friends had that much faith and enjoyment in his music. After spending close to fifty years alone on that little spit of land that could barely be called a rocky outcropping stuck in the middle of the sea, it was nice to have friends at all.

His friends had come up with the idea that they wanted to have their own restaurant; specifically, a boardwalk-access street level café. The location probably wasn't the best, being squeezed on either side by much more prominent cafés and restaurants on a part of the boardwalk that wasn't traveled down very much. The natural lighting wasn't great, either, since there were several large palm trees that kept the area well shaded, and the storefront itself was in an old wooden building. To be honest, they weren't looking at much foot traffic, or any kind of traffic without some kind of advertising. And Nami definitely wasn't going to let them waste money on advertising.

And that was fine. The restaurant/café was mostly just for them, at any rate. It had finally come to the point that eating breakfast together at Sanji's house and hanging around different parts of the city causing property damage wasn't as viable as it had been. Luffy had already been called before the city council (again) last month for excessive property damage and Garp's influence was starting to wane. There was only so much the decorated officer of the law would be able to do to keep his youngest grandchild out of serious trouble with the law.

The smarter, more experienced members of their group could read the writing on the wall. They needed a place that they could hang out around without worry of causing too much trouble. And if Sanji could continue to cook for them all while also potentially earning money and spreading his name (even if slowly but surely) through word of mouth then all the better. It was better to establish himself that way, anyway. Sanji didn't want others to do him any favors in regards to his cooking skill. He preferred to let his food do the talking.

The only real problem came from Luffy's insistence that his family couldn't know about it. This wasn't much of an issue with the other Strawhats, however. Nobody wanted Garp to hang around, potentially also damaging the place and inviting police scrutiny. There were several members of the Cope Inee police force that would love nothing more than to see the Strawhats, particularly Luffy and Zoro, locked away for good. Even if he wouldn't mean to, Garp would no doubt lead the police right to them. In regards to Luffy's brothers, most of the crew had met Ace before and nobody had had the chance to meet Sabo yet, though everyone had heard of them. From what Brook could tell, the two would invite trouble over and cause almost as much property damage as their grandfather. If Luffy wanted a hangout spot that was free of familial influence, then Brook wouldn't begrudge his dear friend this point.

Brook couldn't deny that life would certainly be livelier that way, but he could also appreciate having a nice, quiet place for just them for the time being. Nobody believed that they'd be able to exist in anonymity forever, but they would enjoy their time while it lasted. So far, everyone was throwing their all into their new hangout. And, well, gangs of course had their own hangout spots, though no one would really call the café their 'gang territory' or 'home base.' The Strawhats were already a registered gang in Cope Inee, if you could even call them a 'gang' at all. They didn't have territory (perhaps excepting their new acquisition), nobody was selling anything, they didn't demand 'protection' money, rob or steal anything, or participate in any other activities that one normally found with gangs. The only thing that could be said to be 'gang like' about them is their involvement in various gang fights or wars.

But, well, that's what happened when you had fight-happy maniacs as friends, Brook mused. He couldn't find it in himself to not actively participate either. If anyone was foolish enough to try to challenge a member of the Strawhats then they had to be prepared to get their butts handed to them. Brook couldn't help but feel a little satisfaction in winning most of his fights, either.

Jimbei shifted in his spot at the sink, carefully rinsing the next batch of dishes to be used at their café. Sanji _may_ have bought more than were strictly necessary, but he'd been excited when he found out that he would be the chef at his own restaurant/café. "Since this hasn't been brought up yet, I thought I should mention that I can handle acquiring dinner linens and the like," he said in his rumbling voice. "I can always ask her majesty Otohime-sama where she bought the linens used at the Undersea Palace. I noticed you were interested in them, Sanji-kun, when we were last all there."

Sanji smiled widely, one of his rare genuinely happy smiles on his face. "That would be great, Jimbei, thank you." It was nice to see the chef smiling so widely instead of using one of his usual smirks or crooked smiles. It made him seem younger and happier.

"Just remember the alcohol," Zoro said simply from next to Jimbei at the sink, scrubbing his own batch of dishes. At least he'd learned the difference between a brillo pad and a sponge. "Nobody wants to come to a place that doesn't serve alcohol."

Just as quickly as it appeared, Sanji's smile was replaced with a scowl. "We're only just having our big opening this weekend!" he protested, perhaps drying the plate in his hand a little too vigorously. Franky calmly took the plate out of his hand before starting to dry it himself, thankfully not using any of his fire techniques to do so. For some reason, Brook had a feeling that their resident chef and homeowner wouldn't appreciate that. "Do you know what all goes into getting a liquor license? I'm pissed too since now I can't serve any dishes that are served with wine, but I'm still dealing with it, you alcoholic. At least wait until our first health inspection, marimo."

Luffy leant back in his chair, balancing a fork on his upper lip in boredom. "Eh, I don't see what's so great about alcohol. I mean, if you like it, then that's great, but I just don't see what the big deal is." He wrinkled his brow and twisted his lips, catching the fork he'd been balancing before it had a chance to fall from the sudden movement. "Tastes funny. The _bad_ kind of funny."

"Like Buggy?" Robin asked, amused at the antics around her. She leant her head against her propped up arm and hand, smiling gently. Sanji shook his head sadly, muttering something about 'uncultured idiots.' In Brook's opinion, their captain was too young to really appreciate a nice cold ale.

Luffy briefly considered the question, shaking his head as he sat up properly in his seat once more. "No, 'cause Buggy's still at least funny sometimes. The _bad_ kind of funny where it's not really funny at all," he clarified to anyone who actually cared. Robin giggled, hiding her smile behind a graceful hand.

Franky turned to fully face the room. It was amusing how big he was compared to how gentle and methodically he dried and stacked the newly washed plates and dishes. "Well, hey, I could build some wine shelves for when we do get our liquor license," he offered with an easy grin. "Let me have another look at those blueprints and I could even make a bar. Be thinking what kind of counters you want. I also have ideas for a new entryway…" Franky trailed off, absentmindedly drying plates and stacking them. "I'm thinking archways. And roll-away glass doors."

"Guys, we still have to go over prices and expenses," Nami said, pulling out a calculator and scribbling madly on her notepad. The notepad was already half-filled with numbers and equations that didn't make that much sense to Brook but apparently was easily readable to their resident money lover and math enthusiast. Nami ran a hand threw her hair. "We're going to have to set prices for the different menu items, estimate what our monthly expenditures would be, and are we going to pay anyone? It's a lot to go over before this weekend, not to mention start-up costs for everything."

"It sounds to me that we're going to need a manager to oversee everything," Jimbei mused. Brook sure didn't want the job, though he knew his captain would love being the boss of everything. Everyone looked over at Luffy who frowned thoughtfully at the table in front of him with his arms crossed.

"I want to be manager," he said. "I like being in charge and I think it'd be a lot of fun, but I don't think I'd be a _good_ manager." It almost looked like their brave captain was pouting. "I'd probably accidentally break everything and have everyone yell at me. And that doesn't sound like fun."

"I suppose we didn't really decide what our rolls would be," Chopper said thoughtfully, tapping his hoof to the side of his face in consideration.

"Well, Sanji's definitely the cook," Usopp stated. "He'd kill the rest of us if we even tried to help." He crossed his arms and nodded sagely at his own words.

Sanji lit a cigarette and exhaled a puff of smoke. "He's right. I would, you barbarians. Excepting Nami-swan and Robin-chan of course!" The room ignored his dramatic outburst.

"I'll be bouncer or whatever," Zoro offered easily. "I don't mind kicking people out." He offered an easy, if sharp, grin at the prospect of fighting anyone who dared to try to start anything at their new place. It was easy to forget or miss because of how quick he was to accept a fight, but Zoro could be pretty territorial over their group, and very protective. Brook didn't envy anyone stupid enough to try to challenge the swordsman anywhere that he'd declared their territory.

"Well, better that than bartender," Nami replied, ignoring the glare sent her way. "You'd drink us out of business before we'd even start to pull in a profit. Obviously, I'll be in charge of accounting. Like Sanji-kun, I don't trust the rest of you with my—I mean _our_ precious money."

Brook practically tittered when he stood up and took a large, sweeping bow. "I, of course, shall be the live entertainment—though I'm not alive! Skull joke! Yohoho!" Oh, it was good to have an audience again!

Luffy looked around the room, pointing at his friends as he went. "Sanji's the chef, Zoro's fighting anyone annoying, Nami's in charge of money, Chopper's keeping us all alive and healthy, Brook's our musician, Franky and Usopp are keeping the building working... What about the rest of us?"

Carefully wiping his hands dry, Jimbei turned around to face his friends. "I could help with deliveries," he offered. "It's easier for me to travel and I'm stronger than the rest of you. It would be no trouble at all to help with any orders our restaurant may have."

Luffy smiled widely. "So Jimbei's our muscle! That's great!"

Robin chuckled. "I think I have an idea for the both of us, captain." Luffy looked over, curious. "Since you want to be in charge and have responsibilities for our café perhaps you can be listed as the owner? That way you would have final say over everything without having to deal with the minutia of running a business. As for myself," Robin continued, "I offer my interest in becoming manager. It shouldn't be anything too different to what I used to do for Crocodile."

"That works!" Luffy cheered. "Now all we need is a name!"

"I thought we were going with Iceburg's suggestion?" Franky asked, leaning against the counter. Iceburg was Franky's foster brother who offered his expertise on both construction projects and legal matters; it helped that Iceburg was owner of the Galley-la construction company as well as on the city council. Iceburg was definitely a friend they could count on.

It was thanks to the Strawhats many connections on the city council that they'd been able to avoid anything more serious than a few fines for their actions around the city. If it was anyone else, they'd probably already be in jail.

"It would be better if we all agreed on a name beforehand," Brook replied. He strummed casually on his guitar, fingers starting on the beginning chords of Bink's Sake. It was a favorite of his and a song he always seemed to come back to.

"Well, I'm okay with it," Usopp said. He rummaged through the papers on the table before pulling out a fresh notepad and pencil. "But we should take a vote. I can tally it up here." He lifted the pad to show everyone.

"The Thousand Sunny sounds great to me!" Chopper cheered, throwing his hooves into the air joyfully. He couldn't wait to take Dr. Hiluluk to the café some time. They were all excited to bring their friends over, really. After swearing them to secrecy, of course.

Brook kind of liked having a 'secret hideout' with friends.

Nami smirked. "There are worse names out there. I like it, too."

"Thousand Sunny it is!" Usopp declared when no one else had any objections.

Zoro crossed his arms over his chest and leant against the sink with a slight frown. "I'm sure I'm going to regret this, but what about wait staff? Or are the people just supposed to serve themselves?"

"I _refuse_ to have my food served as part of some, some— _cheap buffet_!" Sanji declared with a glare. He, too, crossed his arms, making his position very clear. The fact that he didn't say anything to Zoro about their shared stance said everything about how irritated he was at the thought of his food being 'treated like slop.' As a chef, Sanji's food was his art, and his work a masterpiece. Brook knew he wouldn't settle for anything less than the perfect presentation.

Luffy shrugged his shoulders, not looking concerned in the slightest. "I just figured that we'd all take turns while we're there." Brook had to admit that sounded like a good idea. Then again, it wasn't like he'd have to pull double duty as a waiter since he'd be playing music the whole time. Brook planned to be too busy playing and making music to have to work as a waiter. Then again, not a lot of people would be happy being served food by a living skeleton. But that was fine. He a musician first a foremost. Maybe he could even convince newly appointed manager Robin to let him put in his piano.

Either way, he mused while Nami started fretting about possibly having to pay extra wages for the others doing extra work, Brook was sure that their new hang out place would be plenty of fun. It was sure to be lively, and loud, and non-stop excitement and fun. Not for the first time, Brook was happy to no longer be alone.

He didn't know what he'd do without his friends.


End file.
